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How to Migrate Netwrix Auditor Databases to Another SQL Server Instance

Question​

Can you migrate audit databases to another Microsoft SQL Server instance?

Answer​

Yes, you are able to migrate audit databases to another Microsoft SQL Server instance. Follow the steps below to complete this process.

Prerequisites​

  • Required Permissions: The account used by Netwrix Auditor must have db_owner rights on the target audit databases. For SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), the account must have the Content Manager role on the Home folder, and users must have the Browser role on the Report Server. For detailed steps on assigning these permissions, see How to Assign db_owner Permissions and SQL Server Reporting Services
  • SQL Server and SSRS must be installed and configured on the new server.

Instructions​

  1. Configure a new SQL Server instance.
  2. On the Netwrix Auditor server, stop Netwrix Auditor Archive Service and Netwrix Auditor Management Service.
  3. Back up all Netwrix databases in the old SQL Server instance except for Netwrix_CommonDB, Netwrix_ImportDB, Netwrix_Auditor_EventLog, ReportServer, and ReportServerTempDB. To back up databases:
    1. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the original SQL Server instance.
    2. Select an audit database, right-click it, and select Tasks > Back Up...
    3. In the Back Up Database window, review the path where the database backup will be stored in the Destination section.
  4. Copy the database backups to your new SQL Server. In the new SQL Server instance:
    1. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the destination SQL Server instance.
    2. Right-click the Databases node and select Restore Database...
    3. Under the Source section, select the Device option, and click ... to browse for databases.
    4. In the Specify Backup Devices window, click Add and select the backup database file. Click OK.
    5. Specify the database name and check the Restore checkbox under the Backup sets to restore section.
  5. Deploy the new Report Database. For more information, see Deploying the Report Server Database
  6. Stop the old SQL Server (%instance_name%) service.
  7. Start Netwrix Auditor Archive Service and Netwrix Auditor Management Service.
  8. In the main Netwrix Auditor menu, select Settings > Audit Database tab, and specify the new SQL Server and Reporting Service settings.

NOTE: If you receive the following pop-up message, click Yes to proceed with modifying the Audit Database settings: Audit Database modification prompt

  1. Click Yes when the following message appears: Confirmation dialog: Data will become unavailable until the new database is configured
  2. In the main Netwrix Auditor menu, select Settings > Investigations tab. Click Modify to specify the new SQL Server settings.
  3. Run a search with the filter When | Equals | Last 7 days. If you see the relevant data, the databases were migrated successfully and the new SQL Server is being used.
  4. Optional: Start the old SQL Server instance if it is used for any other tasks.